~ Shards ~

Everything in life comes with its time; irrespective of our comfort or pain, or both. It's our prerogative to see each of these through, till they complete their time - of arriving as well as subsistence.
- moi

Every morning when the light hits our eyes, we face a primal choice to make; Love or Fear. And therein goes the rest of your day.
- yours truly

I guess we've been bombarded with too much at the same time. And in that, the core has been buried beneath the rubble. This oblivion scares us, angers us, frustrates us. We try to cope, we pretend.
But truth has a habit of catching up.
- okay, okay. I'm leaving now.

_L_O_V_E_

Their hands held on to each other,
the pain was unreal but one.
None knew where the hurt came from,
but the scar had deeply run.


Their eyes groped the river within,
while the heart closed its eyes.
The sun shone darkness,
the truth was same as lies.


Immersed together in the roaring sea,
the throes pulling 'em apart.
The hands clenched tighter; digging further
and it was then that they went back to the start.


The realization sunk in,
as the agony subsided.
The pain hid in their togetherness,
and rose up as afar they glided.


Contrary to what many might want to believe, that these lines carry with sadness and separation, through these lines i've tried to highlight how when a relationship, and not just a romantic one, turns parasitic, it would be termed anything but Love. Most of us are so deeply immersed in our insecurities and hollowness of our own identities, that we try to fill 'em with the presence of others, especially that 'special one'. It's what one of my younger friends, terms 'filling in empty spaces' (shall write about it some other, right now i'm short on time).
Nothing could probably explain better, how Love (or any relationship) ought to be, than these lines by Kahlil Gibran, the Poet of Life. Once again, this whole post pertains to relationships of Love of any kind imaginable and forged by humans. The night is raw and eager. Savor and soak.


You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.


But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of heavens dance between you.


Love one another, but make not a bond of love.
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup, but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread, but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone.Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.


Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together.
For the pillars of the temple stand apart.
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow...

Through the eyes of a Stranger

Routine consumes us. It's like termite which steadily eats away. It's creeps on you slowly and without warning. It saps you of energy to discover each day afresh of even the curiosity to do so. With no signs on the surface, it fools us into the trap of knowing and familiarity. And it is this routine, which at many times, blinds you to the little joys and beauty of your world, your cocoon. The Blindness to the Known.

I realized this, yet again, some days back when i spent 2 days in the company of my cousin. I took him all over the city of Chandigarh that i call home these days. Having spent 7 years here now, i tend to believe that i hold a certain authority on things which should be known to a visitor.

And what added to the novelty this time, was the exciting fact this cousin of mine has lived his whole life in a big village in the middle of Punjab and was visiting a city this progressive, for the first time ever. He's 20 years old, btw. Little did i know, that i'd end up being more surprised than him.

My cousin is shy, very sharp and acutely observant. From the moment i took the first turn to the time i saw him off at the bus stand, i saw through his eyes, what i had never seen before, although i cross it at least b-weekly. As his curious eyes pierced through the car windows, my complacent eyes rested quietly in their groove. But once he started voicing his  reflections on the sights and sounds, my eyes bounced forward.

The minuteness and the simplicity of his remarks jolted my lazy, gloating self. It was like being rudely woken up from a long, undeserved slumber.

Suddenly, i was seeing my 'home' in a whole new light and context. Things i had gotten 'used to' seeing and appreciating, i realized, were as pristine and wonderful, only my perception failed to register it so often now. His rural upbringing added yet another dimension to the commonest of things. We take them for granted and falter to discern how the slightest of triviality reflects significant features of its habitat.

His surveillance and our discussions ranged from how girls behaved as pillion riders, in the cities and villages, to how acrimonious impatience is spreading like an epidemic, everywhere. His insights made me rethink on some topics. The Heart of soil knows more about life than the Mind of concrete.

And so, through the eyes of a Stranger, i start re-knowing the Known. And re-knowing Life.

Today's song is by Alanis Morissette, a snappy number with some quirky suggestions, 'You learn'..


I, recommend getting your heart trampled on to anyone, yeah
I, recommend walking around naked in your living room, yeah

Swallow it down (what a jagged little pill)
It feels so good (swimming in your stomach)
Wait until the dust settles

1-You live you learn, you love you learn
You cry you learn, you lose you learn
You bleed you learn, you scream you learn

I, recommend biting off more than you can chew to anyone
I certainly do
I, recommend sticking your foot in your mouth at any time
Feel free

Throw it down (the caution blocks you from the wind)
Hold it up (to the rays)
You wait and see when the smoke clears

I, I, oh, oh

Wear it out (the way a three-year-old would do)
Melt it down (you're gonna have to eventually, anyway)
The fire trucks are coming up around the bend

You grieve you learn, you choke you learn
You laugh you learn, you choose you learn
You pray you learn, you ask you learn
You live you learn...